[meteorite-list] Meteorite Pricing/Values

From: Thomas Uza <biscuit_40_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Dec 23 18:30:51 2005
Message-ID: <20051223233049.50194.qmail_at_web50905.mail.yahoo.com>

Steve,

There is no "justification". Meteorite sellers offer a
commodity and of course add hype as they see fit. A
buyer has to be informed. My rule is to NEVER buy a
meteorite when I want to. New falls in particular are
the worst buy.

Collectors need to buy like dealers and there is no
reason why they can't. Patience always pays off.

My father, a life long stamp and coin guy, always
said, "It's only worth what you can get for it." Not
profound but to the point.

JUST my opinion,

Thomas


--- MeteorHntr_at_aol.com wrote:

> Dean,
>
> Great post. There are so many factors to the value
> of any particular
> specimen as you pointed out.
>
> One thing I think people selling meteorites should
> do is take a little more
> time in justifying the price they are asking. This
> means justifying why the
> price might be particularly low (as you do so well
> in offering low NWA prices
> - yet you also put the twist in that you feel that
> soon the prices
> justifiably will go higher later). That is
> marketing.
>
> On the other hand, if someone is asking a
> particularly high price for
> something, that too needs to be explained. Again,
> that too is marketing.
>
> Without the explanation offered by the seller, all
> to often as a buyer it is
> easy for people think you are asking too much, if
> not for the simple purpose
> of positioning yourself for a higher value in a
> trade or so that you can
> come way down making the person feel like they got
> a great bargain. Or possibly
> people might think you are indeed trying to rip
> people off by overpricing
> your material.
>
> And if one is asking what most consider is a normal
> fair price, justify that
> too.
>
> Whatever the case, help prospective buyers at least
> understand where you are
> coming from.
>
> I remember Mike Farmer seven years ago posting about
> how hot it was in
> Portales hunting for PV and how cows were dying and
> blaoting in the heat. I am
> not sure it that was a legitimate justification for
> a market price on PV, but
> at least we knew where he was coming from. We knew
> in part why he personally
> valued a specimen at say $18/g rather than maybe
> $17/g.
>
> I think as buyers (or on the list - as critics) we
> should acknowledge
> legitimate qualities in particular specimens and
> justify why he or she agrees or
> disagrees with a stated price. Without such
> justification, the critic looks
> even more foolish than the seller. Instead of
> replying with a statement, why
> not respond with a question as to why they think it
> is worth such and such a
> price. Put the responsibility of justifying a price
> back on the seller rather
> on yourself to justify why it is not worth it.
>
> And if a buyer doesn't accurately justify why they
> don't buy (albeit only to
> themselves) then they are likely to miss out on some
> great bargains thinking
> they were making a good decision.
>
> Remember, if we all agreed to the value of all
> meteorites, we dealers would
> be out of a job, and this list would be very boring.
>
> Steve Arnold
> Arkansas
>
>
>
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Received on Fri 23 Dec 2005 06:30:49 PM PST